Tag Archives: Family

Force Majeure (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : Trouble in family vacation

Posted on March 16, 2015 by kaist455

Swedish film “Force Majeure”, which is probably the funniest and smartest film I have seen during this month, handles its intimate but edgy drama with wits and elegance to savor and admire. Like many good stories, it presents fully established … Continue reading →

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Leviathan (2014) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4) : A moody, fatalistic social drama from Russia

Posted on March 16, 2015 by kaist455

Reticent and foreboding right from during its first scene, Russian film “Leviathan”, which was recently Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film early in this year, is shrouded in a moody, fatalistic aura of ill fortune. Even when things seem to … Continue reading →

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Sunshine on Lieth (2013) ☆☆☆ (3/4) : Love, music, and Edinburgh

Posted on March 13, 2015 by kaist455

Although it has usual weaknesses as a musical film mainly depending on individual moments of music and choreography more than plot and characters, “Sunshine on Lieth” is not without charm and energy to entertain us. Its plot revolving around several … Continue reading →

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The Well-Digger’s Daughter (2011) ☆☆☆ (3/4) : A relaxed rural tale in Provence

Posted on March 8, 2015 by kaist455

French film “The Well-Digger’s Daughter” gives us a likable case of how good storytelling can engage, surprise, and touch us. While its main characters may be broad and simple, they are presented as people filled with life and personality, and … Continue reading →

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The Salvation (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Western Revenge

Posted on March 6, 2015 by kaist455

“The Salvation” looks and feels like an authentic American western film, and you will probably be surprised to know that it was actually made by a Danish director in South Africa. Drive by its terse storytelling coupled with harsh, remorseless … Continue reading →

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The Skeleton Twins (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Estranged Twins’ reunion

Posted on February 10, 2015 by kaist455

While not flinching from the dark, gloomy side of its story, “The Skeleton Twin” works as an intimate and humorous story about the rocky relationship between two estranged siblings who respectively struggle with each own personal problems. As observing their … Continue reading →

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St. Vincent (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Murray as your average cranky old neighbor

Posted on February 9, 2015 by kaist455

As watching Bill Murray in “St. Vincent”, I thought about how Murray has steadily maintained his screen persona for more than 20 years. While he looks shabbier than usual here in this movie, he is still Bill Murray we have … Continue reading →

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The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) ☆☆(2/4) : A sweet but mellow cuisine conflict

Posted on February 1, 2015 by kaist455

  “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is a sweet but mellow cuisine conflict which gets clumsily overcooked during its first half and then gets tediously undercooked during its second half. I like some ingredients of its main course, and it is surely … Continue reading →

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The Water Diviner (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A father’s search for his fallen sons

Posted on January 29, 2015 by kaist455

  As a seasoned moviegoer, I usually ignore “Inspired by a true story/true stories” at the beginning of movies supposedly based on real-life incidents, and I am always ready to enjoy any fictional elements in them, but “The Water Diviners” … Continue reading →

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Love is Strange (2014) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : More than longtime companions

Posted on January 28, 2015 by kaist455

  “Love is Strange” is a small intimate drama about two good people who have loved and lived with each other for almost 40 years and then suddenly have to deal with a trouble suddenly coming into their happy life. As … Continue reading →

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